


Deeper than the deep blue sea is

by TheBrideOfTheWind



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: A Very Becho Valentine, Bellamy couldn't be more in denial, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, It's Soft, Unresolved Romantic Tension, canonverse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-27 02:14:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17757872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBrideOfTheWind/pseuds/TheBrideOfTheWind
Summary: Echo and Bellamy watch a movie together on the Ark, but the Titanic is the only ship that’s sinking.The title is from the song "All The Way" by Frank Sinatra.





	Deeper than the deep blue sea is

**Author's Note:**

> My gift for @jellamyjake on Tumblr for the A Very Becho Valentines Secret Gift Exchange ❤ 
> 
> The idea is from something Tasya said about Echo watching Titanic, and I just went with it. And I heard you like time jump headcanons, so...

“Hey, what do you think you are doing?” Raven prods him into his ribs, hard enough for him to wince, and he tears his gaze from Echo who is sitting next to Emori at the control panel, the both of them talking to each other low and quite animatedly in Trigedasleng. 

He takes a moment to rub his side with a pained expression on his face before innocently holding up the book in his hands and meeting Raven's scrutinising glare with the same amount of accusation in his own.

“Ouch,” he groans, but she keeps narrowing her eyes at him and shakes her head slowly.

“I’ve been reading about mythology,” he explains himself hastily as he puts down his book, and the crease between Raven’s eyebrows tells him, she doesn't believe a word of it. 

He has been reading about mythology, though, at least when he wasn't peeking at Echo over his book or trying to understand what she and Emori were talking about. But Raven doesn't know that, and she usually rolls her eyes at him whenever he tells another long, boring story about gods, and heroes and mythical creatures, and so he hopes for the same effect this time.

Raven knows him well enough, and she’s not known to be subtle or considerate either, and so she nips his poor attempt at a charade in the bud: “For me, it looks more like you’re reading the story about Narcissus and—”

Echo and Emori have stopped talking and are looking at them curiously, and he only manages to shut Raven up in the last second by putting his hand over her mouth. Which doesn’t help with the curiosity at all, but at least she doesn’t shout something from the rooftops he doesn’t quite grasp himself.

Pulling back his hand before she bites him, he hisses: “She is the one watching him, and she also is the one who—”

“The one who what?” Raven grins from ear to ear, leaning in closely to deliver the final blow: “And by the way, your book is upside down.”

He hurries to flip the book over, then notices it's been on the right side the whole time. Haunted by Raven’s triumphant cackle, he sighs and resumes pretending to read and spy on Echo.

It has become a habit, and screw Raven, it doesn’t mean anything. He trusted Echo once and has burned himself, and second chances or not, he still feels the need to keep a watchful eye on her. 

During their first days in space, she has proved herself over and over, and he couldn't find something insincere in her interactions with the others, though. He still watches her cheeks redden and her lips pull into a shy smile whenever someone thanks her, he still looks for any hints of disingenuousness when she keeps a straight face while eating Monty's algae or does the dishes with Harper without any complaints.

Until now, he wasn’t able to find anything, and although her enthusiasm considering Monty's soup looks a little suspicious, he can't blame her for being polite, and much less for the smile she puts on Monty's face whenever she asks for seconds.

_She’s a spy; she knows how to blend in_ , a little voice in his head won’t stop telling him.

The others don’t seem to have the same problem. Harper was the first to welcome her, and Monty couldn’t resist either when she offered to help with his algae farm. Raven took her in as her roommate reluctantly at first, by now they communicate with each other without words. Emori and her get along well, too, despite their differences and resentments concerning the other’s past. And it's the same with Murphy, after some initial disagreements he and Echo have developed a close bond over their shared humour and their love for action films. 

But every time he questions his inexplicable need to keep track of her, he remembers the one time he found something dubious in the flicker of emotion in her brown eyes and the twist of her mouth, when he asked her if she could train him to fight like her. For a moment, her mask slipped, and he still doesn’t know what to make of her reaction.

_She doesn't trust me either_ , he sometimes thinks, surprised by the sting this realisation leaves behind, but he usually glosses over it quickly, because she accepted, nevertheless, didn't she?

He is the oldest and probably the most skilled fighter other than her, and it seems only natural for Echo to fight more brutal and ruthless, how else would he learn? And if he gets distracted because he’s staring at her shirt riding up and baring her stomach once or twice that doesn't mean anything. Neither does the feeling of unease he usually gets whenever she pins him down during training, which happens more times he can count. And it certainly doesn't mean anything that he seeks out her company either, because with Monty and Harper, Emori and Murphy, and Raven doing whatever she is doing at the moment, anyone who can count knows it leaves him with Echo. 

❤❤❤

It’s one of these lonely evenings, his back still hurting from when she tripped him in the morning. And if she is any predictable, she’ll be watching a film with Murphy in the living room. They didn't invite him this time, but he goes anyway because he’s done this before and he’s got nothing else to do.

He finds Echo in her usual spot on the couch, to his surprise for the first time sans Murphy but wrapped up in not only one but two blankets as if there occurred a sudden onset of winter without anyone but her noticing. For someone from Ice Nation ironically she gets cold very easily.

“It’s a different kind of cold,“ she told him one of their first days in space, „it’s not natural.“

_Once you have tasted the taste of sky, you will forever look up_ , he remembers reading once, and despite having grown up on the Ark, he understands it more than ever, his gaze being drawn to the planet outside the window as much as hers is.

Awaiting another action movie, he raises his eyebrows as he picks up the DVD case that's lying next to the TV. “Titanic?“

Echo shrugs off his obvious astonishment. "Harper told me to watch this. How could I say no?“

He didn’t watch the movie himself, but even he knows Harper can’t stop gushing about it. A tragic love story seems like a peculiar choice for someone like Echo, who is a great listener, yet doesn't talk about personal things or her feelings very often. Although she seems kind enough to accept Harper’s recommendation, if only for the sake of making her happy.

“Do you want to...join me?” she addresses him, and he looks up from the DVD case he’s still turning in his hand, standing next to the TV awkwardly.

He’s been joining her and Murphy several times in their quest to watch every action movie ever made, but he has never watched any other genre and much less solely with her. Usually, Murphy is the one to invite him. Yet he’s not there, and she asked? And it would most likely be not just rude, but also odd to decline her offer. So he nods, and makes himself comfortable on the couch next to her, leaving enough space for them not to touch, while she restarts the movie and they watch in silence.

As awaited, it’s different than the movies they use to watch when Murphy's with them, a little long, but not bad overall. The movie is coming to an end, the ship has already collided with the iceberg, and the male protagonist is clutching at the door, lips blue and teeth clattering. Echo shifts slightly beside him, and he turns to look at her, the light of the screen casting her profile in blue and grey, statuesque and beautiful. 

It’s bright enough to make out the features of her face and gives him the opportunity to look without her noticing. There’s something delicate and vulnerable about her, all unguarded, with her mask off again, and he feels like an intruder. She doesn’t move, but something doesn't seem right, and if the rapid blinking of her eyes and the quivering of her lip is any indication…

“Are you crying?” he nudges her softly, and regrets it at the same moment, when she cringes and angles herself away from him, her hand wiping across her eyes quickly.

“Hey, nothing to be ashamed of,” he whispers and without even thinking reaches over to touch her face, thumb pressing against her skin, tracing the tears on her cheek.

Echo draws in a sharp breath and stiffens, and he realises too late what he’s doing, thankful the dimness hides the rising blush in his cheeks, although the lingering touch tells its own tale. 

His stammered “sorry” doesn’t really help, and he curses his habit of acting before thinking. She never initiates physical contact other than the occasional pat on the back when he proved himself a worthy opponent while fighting, so what was he thinking to invade her personal space like this? 

Still deeply in thought and beating himself up, he almost jumps out of his skin as her hand brushes his before he catches on and wraps his fingers around hers. She squeezes his hand tightly, but her eyes are fixed on the screen, and no motion of her face discloses any hint about what she's thinking. He, however, hopes she doesn't notice the rapid elevation of his heartbeat, but for all he knows about her, he can't really count on that. 

The credits start to roll and “My Heart Will go on” begins to play, and they are still holding hands. His pulse has slowed down, and for the first time since he can think of, he feels calm.

When the screen turns black, Echo slips her hand out of his and gets up, folding the two blankets neatly and smoothing them down with another precise swipe of her hand. Everything she does has the same accuracy, the same thoroughness, be it aiming a blow at his unprotected side or piling up her laundry, and he observes her with the same fascination. 

“Goodnight, Bellamy,” she says on her way out, stopping in front of the door as if she’s waiting for something. “And thank you.” 

She doesn’t say anything else, but she doesn’t have to, the empty space between them humming with words left unsaid.

“Goodnight, Echo.”

The light coming from outside illumines her standing in the doorway, and he catches the ghost of a smile on her lips when she closes the door behind her. The place where she sat beside him on the couch is still warm as he touches it, and he starts to smile thinking about the moment they shared only minutes ago. He schools his face into a more neutral expression while walking to his room, though, since Raven could be lurking anywhere, ready to rub it in that she was once again right all along.

This night, he lies awake in his bed for a long time, remembering the feeling of Echo's hand in his, strong and soft all at once, just like her. And then he decides that Raven’s smug face might be worth it, and doesn't fight the smile on his face anymore.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, and I hope you like it! I wish you all a happy Valentine's day ❤


End file.
